Tipitina’s, Fandiem, 35+ Artists Team Up To ‘Save Tip’s’ With ‘A Hell Of A Party’

Save Tip’s, organized by Tipitina’s owner and Galactic member Robert Mercurio, aims to support the world-famous club as COVID-19 continues to devastate live venues and will feature some of the most famous artists to grace its stage. It’s free to watch, but includes numerous donation options and a sweepstakes that opens today. 

Live and never-released recorded performances are to include Galactic, Willie Nelson, Willie Nelson, Widespread Panic, Jon Batiste & Stay Human featuring Trombone Shorty, Big Freedia, The Revivalists, Billy Strings, Tank & The Bangas,The Soul Rebels, Dinosaur Jr., Funky Meters, Manu Chao, Cha Wa, St. Paul & The Broken Bones and many more. Vintage, historic performances will include Preservation Hall Jazz Band featuring Allen Toussaint, The Radiators featuring Gregg Allman, Dr. John, Ivan Neville and the legendary Professor Longhair.

“In late 2018, our band took a huge leap of faith to purchase Tipitina’s,” Mercurio said in a statement. “It was not because we wanted to own a venue, it was because we had a chance to save our favorite one in the world. But now we could really use some help to keep saving this national treasure. So in true New Orleans fashion we decided to throw a hell of a party to celebrate this musical institution.”

To support the benefit, Tipitina’s and Fandiem — an all-in-one digital sweepstakes marketplace bringing exclusive virtual and in-real-life experiences to music fans — are offering an exclusive collection of prizes integrated into the livestream platform and performances. 

Fans can donate for a chance to win these prizes, which  will include the Ultimate NOLA Flyaway, an all-expense paid three-day weekend in New Orleans featuring VIP access to the first return show at Tipitina’s, access to a New Orleans-themed catered soundcheck, band meet & greet, and a mega merch pack from the venue, as well as a virtual backstage Zoom Hang with Galactic’s Stanton Moore and Robert Mercurio.

Tipitina’s has been a vibrant hub of New Orleans’ culture and music for more than 40 years and  hosted some of the most legendary acts in the world while attracting fans from across the globe.

It’s faced threats, including effects of Hurricane Katrina, and financial crises before but the COVID-19 pandemic, as it has with countless other live venues, has put Tipitina’s in peril. 

The 800-capacity Tipitina’s was opened by New Orleans musicians in 1977 as a neighborhood juke joint and dedicated space for Professor Longhair — the artist behind seminal recordings including “Tipitina” and “Mardi Gras in New Orleans” — to perform in his final years. 

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, it served as a clearinghouse of sorts for musicians who had been displaced or suffered loss of instruments and jobs while the city recovered. It’s then-owner, facing business and legal difficulties, sold Tipitina’s to Mercurio and other Galactic members in 2018, and died just months later. Despite its sometimes fraught history, it remains a vital part of New Orleans cultural landscape.